Sea shell shaped amusement toy which produces sounds of the sea from within it

ABSTRACT

A sea-shell shaped enclosure includes a body having a size which can be clasped in a hand, which gives off sounds of the sea, or ocean, or related sounds by a sound generating member located within said enclosure (sounds that were recorded from natural, or artificial sources, and stored in said member) when said enclosure is picked up, for the purpose of amusement, since sounds of the sea coming from a sea shell are told of in myth only and never really emulate from sea shells in nature. The triggering device can be a motion sensor, or a heat sensor, or a manual switch, which would trigger the sound generating device to play the above sounds, for a preprogrammed period of time determined by the sound generating device. In addition to the sound could be the option of having the shell light up as well by a light emitting device within the enclosure, which will be energized along with the sound generating device for the same period of time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not Applicable

[0002] There are no references to any prior applications related to a sea-shell shaped enclosure which automatically plays pre-recorded or artificially produced sounds of the sea.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0003] Not applicable

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

[0004] Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] 1. Field of the invention

[0006] The present invention relates to a toy of amusement, giving off sound and, in particular, a toy having functions of playing automatically when picked up.

[0007] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0008] A toy having sounds emulating from it, when moved or interacted with, has been known However, no toy made in the shape of a sea shell that plays back sounds of the sea when picked up has been described. This action creates amusement since it surprises the person who picks up a sea shell and puts it to his/her ear and actually hears the sounds of a sea, sea gulls, and related sounds.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention was developed to create the amusement of having actual sounds of the sea coming from a sea-shell shaped object. Since real sea shells do not produce actual sounds of the sea, it seems to be a natural amusement to pick up a sea-shell shaped object, put it to one's ear, and actually hear waves of the sea rolling to shore, sea gulls calling, and/or sounds of boats.

[0010] A sounding device hidden within the sea-shell shaped enclosure, sounds off automatically by the action of picking up said enclosure, and plays for a period of time which could allow one to put it to one's ear and listen for a reasonable period of time which would satisfy one's interest.

[0011] The advantage of such a device is the creation of amusement by surprising the listener with real sounds of the sea from within a sea-shell shaped object. This is a novel device because of this, and has no prior reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0012]FIG. 1 shows just one example of an enclosure that approximates the appearance of a natural sea shell. The actual specific shape can vary greatly, as long as the general appearance is easily identified to most as a sea shell. The outer dimensions can approximate a size that would be comfortable to clasp in one's hand.

[0013]FIG. 2 just shows another view of the shell shaped enclosure illustrating a shape that is recognizable as a sea shell.

[0014]FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 show just one example of how the enclosure in FIG. 1 can be snapped apart to make it easy to access the battery compartment within a sound producing device which is shown in FIG. 4. A sound producing device can fit snugly within the enclosure when the two parts of the enclosure are snapped back together in such a way as to allow the sound to flow through and out of the shell shaped enclosure opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The invention is an enclosure in the shape of a common, or uncommon sea shell, which can be of any size. This sea shell shaped enclosure can be made of any material, and may even be an actual sea shell. One method of manufacturing such an enclosure can be, but does not have to be limited to, plastic injection molding. Another can be the method of ceramic molding.

[0016] This enclosure will have the ability to easily separate into two sections by snapping together and apart. Within this shell, which may be man made, or natural, will be a sound playing device, of which many are on the market today, which may be triggered to turn on by any form of sensing device such as a motion sensing device, or a proximity sensing device, or a thermal sensing device, or any other type of sensing device that will trigger the sound unit to begin playing. The sound playing device may also be triggered by a manual switching unit. The device, when triggered, will play a sound that may be programmed to play within the sound playing device. An example of this may be the sound of the ocean, such as waves coming in to shore, and/or the sounds of birds, and/or boats. The sound playing device may be programmed to finish playing at the end of the programmed sound file, or programmed to stop playing after a specific, programmed unit of time. That which makes this a useful, and novel device is the age-old inference that putting a sea shell up to one's ear will allow one to hear the ocean. The sound playing device within the enclosure, will also have an access panel through which one can easily replace the battery that powers the sound playing device. The enclosure may be constructed such that it will snap open and shut, and made such that it would be used to access the battery compartment within. A sounding unit would be located within a hollowed section of the sea-shell-shaped enclosure such that the sound can easily be heard through the opening of the shell-shaped enclosure. The sea-shell shape can be of any size and shape corresponding to a recognizable, and natural-looking sea shell as those found in nature. Such a shape creates a natural cup, or channel from which sound can easily travel through and out of. The sounding device shall produce a sound of sufficient volume so that it can easily be heard if one puts the shell shaped enclosure opening up to one's ear. There are many sounding devices that are common and purchasable which will accommodate the requirements described above. Such a sounding device will have the ability to record an audio file, store it, and play it back with sufficient enough volume for the above described purpose. Such a sounding device can be triggered to play by any sensor described above, and will have the common ability to end playing after a period of time, and reset to play again when the sensor is triggered again. These are all common features in common sounding devices known by anyone in the field of digital devices. 

What is claimed by my invention is:
 1. An amusement toy that automatically produces sound compromising: a body or enclosure, shaped like any form or appearance of sea shell having a size which can be clasped in the hand, a hollowed compartment within the seashell shaped enclosure large enough to hold a battery unit, and a sound producing device, hollowed in such a way that the sound from the sound producing device can easily be heard through the opening of the shell-shaped enclosure, of which a sound producing device generates sounds of the beach, and/or water waves coming in to shore, and/or sea gulls, and/or boats with sufficient enough volume, or intensity, to permit a person to be able to hear when he or she picks up the enclosure and puts it to his or her ear, and plays above sound for a preprogrammed unit of time determined by a sound producing device, and an automatic sensor that actuates a sound producing device to begin playing prerecorded, or preprogrammed sounds as described above.
 2. An amusement toy giving off sound as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuation of the sound producing device is actuated by the motion of the enclosure.
 3. An amusement toy giving off sound as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuation of the sound producing device is actuated by a heat sensor, triggered by the user's close proximity to the shell-shaped enclosure.
 4. An amusement toy giving off sound as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuation of the sound producing device is actuated by a manual switch which can be turned on and off by the user of the toy.
 5. An amusement toy giving off sound as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sound producing device also triggers a light within the enclosure which also causes the shell-shaped enclosure to glow with the color of the light, and/or the color of the enclosure material for a period of time corresponding to the length of time the sound is produced.
 6. An amusement toy giving off sound as claimed in claim
 1. Wherein the sound producing device also includes music. 